Vegetarian with meat craving « Back to Group Discussions

[travelmumma]

Hey Mummas,

I have been a vego for about 10 years now
But lately have been craving chicken
Any one else going through this?? Not really sure what to do?
I have never wanted meat before. I am a veg for moral reasons and this makes me worry and dribble with hunger ha ha

Anyone else here?? Ideas? Advice? Suggestions??

[mamaharrison]

YOu likely need to up your protein and iron from your vegetarian sources to satisfy your craving and your bodies needs. This is VERY common. I was a vegetarian/vegan for many years and am not now. I have learned that although morally correct for me, it was never nutritionally correct for my body. I simply feel better with some good animal proteins in my diet--not much, but some. All of the animal my family eats is farm raised and humanely killed. Organic is good, but mass produced organic has many of the same slaughter practices as CAFO animal farming does and so I avoid it. We researched local resources, which are much more expensive, but like I said we don't eat much of it and it is important not to compromise, so we deal with the cost. We mainly do bone broths, unpasturized eggs, and some meat. 

I must say, that I was a VERY strict non junk food vegan, also gluten free for the better part of 2 years and while I did feel good for most of that time I feel much better following the same diet with some animal protein added in, but it was VERY difficult to get out of my vegan mindset. 

[tropicana74]

Before my last pregnancy I was eating completely vegan. I loved it. It worked for me and I felt better than I ever had. HOWEVER, when I got pregnant I HAD to have meat....and red meat (which was very out of character because usually I was a chicken eater). I truly just could not feel full and satisfied on my vegan diet while pregnant.

I tried to go back to my vegan diet after he was born but with breastfeeding I was just losing too much weight, I was so hungry and I just didn't feel like my body was getting what it needed. I added back in eggs and raw dairy and fish. We aren't really much of a meat eating family but like mamaharrison said, when we do we get it from local farmers and pay more for it.

I guess that didn't really answer your question very well. I guess what I am saying is that in my case I chose to go back to meat but I did not have a 10 year stretch of not eating it like you did AND I didn't have any moral issue with meat...I just really felt better (non pregnancy) with no animal products in my diet.

[zebrachick83]

I was a vegan until this pregnancy. I went back to vegetarianism about a month ago so that I could eat eggs and cheese and other sources of non-meat protein. However, the other day I wanted a steak. (That happened occasionally with my other pregnancies as well.) I take that as a sign that my iron levels are low and I have the steak. Then I'm good for another couple of months. The only time I ever crave steak is during pregnancy, so I roll with it. 

[katroshka]

I've been vegan for 12 years and have had 3 babies during that time. I didn't have any problems with any of the pregnancies, other than slightly low iron levels right at the end, not low enough to prescribe iron for. It's definitely possible to be vegan/ vegetarian throughout your pregnancy, I have many friends who had vegan or vegetarian pregnancies, too, with no problems.

I find lentils to be a quick, easy, and great source of protein and iron, and eating them with quinoa is a great way to make sure you are getting complete protein. Eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies is also really important.

A lot of vegetarians tend to sub dairy (esp cheese) for meat in a lot of dishes, don't know if you are doing this but it's definitely not the healthiest way to go, stick to legumes or nuts/ seeds instead, they have a lot more good stuff in them than the dairy. I also avoid simple carbs as much as possible and eat lots of whole and sprouted grains, and lots of quinoa. They have lots of protein and vitamins/ minerals.

I often use this site to find out which foods have what types of nutrients, it is really handy, especially for fruits and veggies:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

[purposefuldoula]

Yes to what everyone else has said!  Before I found out I was pregnant, my dad was visiting and took my family and me out for dinner. I had the strongest craving for fish so I went with it and  ate both fillets! It had been over a year since I had eaten any fish, so I knew something was up. After that BFP, I realized that my body was needing more protein that I was giving it. 

I had my iron levels checked on Thursday and am already on the lower side, so I'm making adjustments. If I'm craving meat, then I'll have some, but I'm getting it from a friend who's family raises the animals.   I had low iron with my last pregnancy and a ton of swelling as well, so I'm trying to avoid that this time around. Extra protein will help a lot with that. 

It was such a hard decision to make, ethically speaking. I can't stand that I'm supporting that industry, but I also recognize my needs for right now... Either way, I still feel sad about it. 

[Jackies]

This is so funny to hear so many others went through similar experiences.

I had been a vegetarian for about 6 years before my first pregnancy. At that point I decided that while I believed it was possible to have a healthy vegetarian pregnancy, I was a college student and didn't have the time and resources to research and implement it properly. So I ate meat but went back to being vegetarian afterwards.

About 3 months ago I started a primal diet of meat, fish, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, and my DH and DD joined in as well. I agree with mamaharrison. Morally, I would love to be a vegetarian and was for over 10 years, but I have many signs of improved health now that I eat meat.

I am lucky to live in an area that has a very happening farmer's market with plenty of local and organic meats and vegetables. It definitely makes it easier to transition when you can visit the farm and see how the animals live and that they're happy.

[sunseeker]

During my last pregnancy, one night I insisted on having real beef hamburgers (after only having turkey burgers for years). My 8 year old daughter was appalled. The craving didn't last more than a week though. So far I haven't had this craving again, but we'll see!

[mamaharrison]

Originally Posted by katroshka 

I've been vegan for 12 years and have had 3 babies during that time. I didn't have any problems with any of the pregnancies, other than slightly low iron levels right at the end, not low enough to prescribe iron for. It's definitely possible to be vegan/ vegetarian throughout your pregnancy, I have many friends who had vegan or vegetarian pregnancies, too, with no problems.
I find lentils to be a quick, easy, and great source of protein and iron, and eating them with quinoa is a great way to make sure you are getting complete protein. Eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies is also really important.
A lot of vegetarians tend to sub dairy (esp cheese) for meat in a lot of dishes, don't know if you are doing this but it's definitely not the healthiest way to go, stick to legumes or nuts/ seeds instead, they have a lot more good stuff in them than the dairy. I also avoid simple carbs as much as possible and eat lots of whole and sprouted grains, and lots of quinoa. They have lots of protein and vitamins/ minerals.
I often use this site to find out which foods have what types of nutrients, it is really handy, especially for fruits and veggies:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/

It is definitely possible to have a healthy vegan/vegetarian pregnancy, for sure! Lots of great suggestions here ; )
You may find that you really need to be mindful that you are getting a good amount of protein from whole sources--lentils and quinoa are great! Just really listen to your body--if you think you may need more iron Floradix is a great herbal iron supplement that is compatible with a veg. diet and helped me tremendously whenever I was feeling like I needed more iron than I was eating.
I was vegan through the first half of my DDs pregnancy and had no health issues at all. 

[mamatoantonia]

Hello 

I have been vegetarian for 20 years and I know exactly what you are talking about. I ate meat when I was pregnant with my daughter. The cravings were intense, so I listened to my body (all organic, free range). I'm already feeling the cravings this time.  

let us know what you decide to do. 

[travelmumma]

Thanks for all of the replies.

It was really great to see everyone experiences.

I haven't eaten any meat yet. The craving has backed off a bit, which I am grateful for.. I upped my intake of beans, nuts and peas and I think that helped a bit. Plus I have started taking B6 and Ginger supplements that allow me to eat and I think that is helping too.

To be honest I think the main thing was the fact that my sister has gorgeous big mumma hens at her home. When i go over I almost fight her kids over who gets to feed them and shut them away!! I really like this weight and warmth and gorgeous noises.. And as soon as I related "Chicken" and "Chicken wings/drumsticks etc"it made the craving back off.

I am very proud to be a vegetarian, and I do want to keep that.. But I also know that sometimes the body/bump/baby needs what it needs, and if it comes to that, I can find me some delicious happy free range organic hens :)

Thank you lots Mummas (and I respect all of your choices absolutely!)

[edensmama]

I feel for you!  Here's what I've been experiencing; I was/am a veggie myself, this is my 3rd pregnancy and I am having a huge issue with food texture.  With my other 2 pregnancies I wanted meat but the sight or smell of chicken made me sick.  This time, I can't eat hummus, veggie burgers, meat, tofu it all makes me sick to my stomach!!    The only thing that I can tolerate is pasta, fruit, veggies, and eggs.  I do crave tuna fish but limit myself to one can a week.  It's so difficult and I don't want to malnourish myself or the baby!  I hope this gets better for both of us.  But it sounds like you need to up your protein!  Good Luck and hugs to you!!